


serpens venenum

by Toothlessturtle21



Series: Zangst Collection (Ninjago) [11]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Autistic-Coded Zane, But not in the way that tag is normally used, Gen, Hallucinations, Handcuffs, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, vent fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-14 22:55:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28928388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toothlessturtle21/pseuds/Toothlessturtle21
Summary: Venomari venom mixed with PTSD is never a good combination.
Relationships: Cole & Zane (Ninjago)
Series: Zangst Collection (Ninjago) [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1468231
Comments: 9
Kudos: 36





	serpens venenum

**Author's Note:**

> heyo i wrote this in one sitting to ignore my life crumbling around me yippee

Zane wasn't sure what the hell was going on, as all he could see through the haze of green clouding his vision were monstrous people, their horned headdresses and purple robes swimming though his mind. His breath hitched as his grip on his shurikens tightened. This didn't make any logical sense, how could he possibly be back on that _island-_

Something struck him in the stomach, making him double over with a gasp as the green in his vision only intensified. Zane almost fell to the ground, but managed to stay upright, afraid to give the cultists more room to put their hands on him once again. There were shouts all around him, and they stabbed his mind like knives, cutting through whatever semblances of thoughts he had as he finally knelt to press his hands over his ears, weapons dropped by his side.

 _Make it stop_ , He begged with himself, and whatever higher being might exist. Even when he shut his eyes, sickening acid green flooded his vision like a corrosive film. Only a few seconds passed before someone landed a rough hand on his arm, trying to tug him up. They were saying something, but it was lost in the torrents in his brain.

Zane's eyes flew open, and there was a man holding onto his arm. A man with a skull headpiece, tooth necklace, black cape-

_How is Chen back that shouldn't be possible no-_

Zane thrashed, yanking his arm back and garbling something that probably sounded pathetic, but he couldn't bring to himself to care as he scrambled away, the cult leader's red eye makeup making his irises glow.

Chen appeared confused for only a moment, eyebrows furrowing before he reached out again, this time more slowly. Zane brought a shaky hand up to defend himself, movements hazy with fear and whatever drug the men had injected him with. Clouse appeared behind Chen now, mumbling some words to him before Chen sighed, bringing up a hand, but this time the android wasn't grabbed. A quick shock ran through his system, and just like that, the world and his mind were blank.

* * *

When Zane came to, he jolted, which proved to be an overall ineffective gesture, as his hand were bound together, tied with admittedly gentle wrappings. The green haze from his vision was gone, but it did absolutely nothing to calm his nerves as he felt the urge to cry ramp up in his throat.

"No, no, stay calm, _please_ -" He whispered to himself, willing his body to look up. He was surrounded by worn wood walls and made beds, and it was then he realized that he was in a bedroom. _Or so they wanted him to believe._

He tried to pull his hands apart once more, to no avail. Whoever tied them knew their way around knots. He sat up, relieved that at least he wasn't bound to the bed, and was attempting to break his bonds over the corner of a bedpost when the door creaked open.

"Zane? You good, buddy?" Cole asked softly, and Zane stared at him, panic written all over his face. "Hey, hey, it's okay."

The android faltered in his movements, frozen to the spot as Cole approached him, reaching down to his wrists.

"Here, lemme help you..."

With a few tugs, the bonds were undone. Zane pulled his hands to his chest, flinching away as soon as he was able to.

"Zane, it's okay, you're safe now," Cole soothed, not stepping any closer but not stepping away either. "You were hit with some Venomari venom, man."

_But they weren't fighting snakes-?_

"What did you see?"

Zane was silent for a few moments, attempting to process what was going on. It took him great effort just to speak.

"I- I saw Chen."

Realization must've hit the Earth Ninja hard, because he looked at the untied bonds with guilt swimming in his eyes.

"Oh."

The two stood in silence for a few beats, both unsure of how to proceed. That is until Zane let out the beginnings of a sob, anyway.

"Hey, hey," Cole moved then, gathering Zane in his arms to simply provide some sort of warmth that the dungeon he was in surely didn't. "I'm sorry, buddy, we restrained you a bit because you kept fighting us as we were trying to give you the antivenom. I promise we aren't going to hurt you."

Zane just shuddered, finally slumping into his friend's arms as his mind began to settle. He didn't notice his hands were shaking until Cole steadied them with his own, pulling away from the embrace.

"You wanna stay here? The others are playin' games, but they might be a bit loud for you now."

Zane nodded, curling back up under his covers with no hesitation. Cole smoothed a hand over his hair as he brought the sheets up to cover his eyes, the word being blotted out as Cole left him to recover, hands still slightly shaking as he drifted into a restless sleep.


End file.
